Assemblyman James Skoufis (D-Woodbury) announced he has secured a $1 million grant to repair the Beaver Dam Lake dam that has sat in bureaucratic purgatory for nine years. The award was initially pursued by state and local elected officials at the time and was offered by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in 2007 through the Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act. The grant has languished in red tape since then, however, and was on the verge of expiring, an outcome that would have resulted in local homeowners picking up the tab.
The Beaver Dam Lake community straddles the Towns of Blooming Grove, Cornwall, and New Windsor.
“This is a big win for the approximately 800 families that reside in the Beaver Dam Lake community,” said Skoufis. “The DEC’s unwillingness to cooperate with and provide information to local board members over the past nine years almost resulted in a senseless outcome; I’m very pleased this was avoided and residents are going to get the assistance they were promised.”
The gridlock surrounding the $1 million grant was brought to Assemblyman Skoufis’ attention at a May 31, 2016, meeting in his office with Beaver Dam Lake District board members as well as Orange County Public Works Commissioner Christopher Viebrock. Skoufis immediately got to work on the issue following the meeting.
“Without Assemblyman Skoufis’ intervention, our community would have lost out on $1 million that was promised to us – plain and simple,” explained Beaver Dam Lake District Chairman Larry Rossini. “We are extremely grateful for his efforts.”
“Assemblyman Skoufis’ instant involvement was the key to securing this long-awaited award,” added Board Member Doreen LoSauro. “It wouldn’t have happened without him.”
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